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LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers open their four-game series against the Giants on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, and Andre Ethier is the odd man out among the four outfielders in the first game.
Ethier is 5-for-19 with a home run and two doubles (.263/.333/.526) against Giants starter Ryan Vogelsong, but drew the short straw on Thursday. a Matt Kemp is 7-for-23 with a home run, a triple, a double and four walks against Vogelsong (.304/.407/.526).
Carl Crawford is just 2-for-9 (.222) against Vogelsong but also has 10 hits in his last 17 at-bats over the last five games. Yasiel Puig has never faced Vogelsong, but is similarly on fire, hitting .433 (13-for-30) during his seven-game hitting streak.
Ethier, it should be noted, has a five-game hitting streak of his own, and is hitting .353/.405/.441 (12-for-34) over his last 10 games, with three doubles.
"Yasiel has established himself in right field pretty much as the guy. Matt has been playing well and has been swinging the bat better, his days have really just been days off," manager Don Mattingly said. "Dre and Carl are fighting for that playing time."
Drew Butera, the Dodgers' leader with two home runs in May, starts at catcher for the Dodgers.